1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for manipulating a transmission of a vehicle, wherein speeds of transmission of the vehicle can be switched-over both automatically and manually. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for manipulating a transmission of a vehicle, which is so constructed that the same switching unit for detecting whether the shift lever is positioned on a first path side, at which the automatic transmission mode is executed, or on a second path side, at which the manual transmission mode is executed, can be attached to the shift lever, even if the design of the shift lever or other components of the apparatus are changed.
2. Description of the Related Art
An apparatus has been developed recently for manipulating a transmission of a vehicle, wherein speeds of transmission of the vehicle can be switched-over both automatically and manually. This apparatus was constructed so as to be provided with a first path having an automatic transmission position, at which speeds of transmission were switched-over automatically depending on a drive state, a second path extending parallel to the first path and having a manual transmission position, at which speeds of transmission were switched-over manually, and a transverse path connecting the second path to the first path. A shift lever supported pivotably with respect to a body of the vehicle was able to be moved through the first, second, and transverse paths. A switching unit for detecting on which side the shift lever was positioned, the first path side or the second path side, was attached to the shift lever. This prior art apparatus is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-8545.
However, with the prior art apparatus, it was necessary to design a new switching unit each time the design of the shift lever or other components was changed. Therefore, the prior art apparatus had problems in that the kinds of switching units increased, which not only necessitated a number of management steps, but also gave rise to a risk of mounting erroneous parts and an increase in the fabrication cost of the switching unit.